holiday shopping – News Stories About holiday shopping - Page 8

Farhad Manjoo

Nov 24, 2009 11:39 AM CST

What Not to Buy on Black Friday

Netbooks, e-books and other bad deals

(Newser) - Step away from the gizmos. Even if you make it through the Black Friday crowds unharmed, you may do serious damage to your wallet, writes Farhad Manjoo in Slate , who runs down what to buy and bypass at the big box store: Don't Buy:

E-book readers: The market is heating

...

Holiday Shipping Costs Get the Heave-Ho-Ho

Nov 17, 2009 1:42 AM CST

Holiday Shipping Costs Get the Heave-Ho-Ho

Charges ditched as online competition heats up

(Newser) - Free shipping is quickly becoming the rule instead of a bonus as online and catalog retailers seek to lure holiday shoppers. Many shoppers searching for deals now abandon Internet shopping sites as soon as they find they must pay shipping costs, analysts are finding. Some 57% of retailers are offering...

Retailers Sell Flicks Online at Less Than Cost

RACE TO THE BOTTOM

Nov 6, 2009 10:42 AM CST

Retailers Sell Flicks Online at Less Than Cost

Big-box giants drop price of 10 hottest DVD titles to $10

(Newser) - Wal-Mart has spurred an online DVD price war by dropping prices on 10 must-have movies to just $10, which analysts agree is below wholesale cost. “We remain committed to offering our customers the lowest prices online at Walmart.com, and will continue to adjust our pricing accordingly,” a...

iPhone Users Get Leg Up on Black Friday

Nov 5, 2009 10:51 PM CST

iPhone Users Get Leg Up on Black Friday

App lets shoppers check deals, and rumored deals

(Newser) - If you’re already getting your Black Friday game face on, consider making the Black Friday app the first thing on your shopping list. The free program from dealnews can keep you up to date on both officially announced bargains and deals that have “leaked,” and lets you...

Palin's Book, Going Rogue,
Will Be Out by Thanksgiving

Sep 28, 2009 7:05 PM CDT

Palin's Book, Going Rogue, Will Be Out by Thanksgiving

Ex-candidate borrows phrase used on her during '08 campaign

(Newser) - Trading on a phrase often used to describe her actions in the final weeks of last year’s presidential campaign, Sarah Palin’s memoir will be called Going Rogue—and you’ll be able to get it for all the Mama Grizzlies on your holiday shopping list, too. Palin beat...

Christmas in September
Leaves Shoppers Cold

Sep 28, 2009 3:32 PM CDT

Christmas in September Leaves Shoppers Cold

No, you're not crazy, it is still September

(Newser) - Look around your local department store, and you might encounter a ridiculous site: a Christmas display. Yes, retailers are already decking their halls, desperate to get a piece of consumers’ dwindling holiday budgets before their competitors do. Consumers aren't buying it. “You can’t get in the Christmas spirit...

Outlook Bleak for Holiday Hiring

Sep 23, 2009 1:22 AM CDT

Outlook Bleak for Holiday Hiring

Pessimistic retailers plan to slash seasonal jobs

(Newser) - Retail jobs are expected to be in short supply even as the holiday shopping season approaches, the Wall Street Journal reports. Some 40% of retail chains surveyed say they plan to hire fewer workers this year than they did last year when the recession forced many to cut staffing levels....

Toys R Us
Pumped Up
for Holiday
Offensive

Sep 15, 2009 1:28 AM CDT

Toys R Us Pumped Up for Holiday Offensive

Chain plans to open 80 temporary stores in time for holiday shopping season

(Newser) - Toys R Us is getting ready to go on the offensive in the battle for holiday sales, the Washington Post reports. The company—which snapped up the KB Toys and FAO Schwarz brands earlier this year—plans to open 80 temporary "Holiday Express" stores in malls across the country,...

Ho-Ho-Hold on
a Minute,
Xmas in July?

Jul 31, 2009 4:38 AM CDT

Ho-Ho-Hold on a Minute, Xmas in July?

Stores launch summer promotions to snag holiday dollars early

(Newser) - It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas in malls across the country as stores angle for some extremely early holiday dollars, the Wall Street Journal reports. Retailers like Toys'R'US, Sears and Kmart have dragged Santa away from his summer break and launched July Christmas promotions, hoping to boost sales...

Slump in TV Sales May Push Smaller Makers Out

Jan 20, 2009 2:09 PM CST

Slump in TV Sales May Push Smaller Makers Out

Likes of Hitachi, Pioneer don't have staying power of Sony and other giants

(Newser) - A steep decline in demand for flat-panel TVs could push smaller manufacturers out of the market, the Wall Street Journal reports. As the economy sours and larger makers achieve economies of scale, the price gap between top brands and cheaper rivals has shrunken dramatically. The top five makers accounted for...

'Sea Change' In
Store for Retail

Dec 27, 2008 10:28 AM CST

'Sea Change' In Store for Retail

Shops to shut, brands to fold as bankruptcies soar

(Newser) - Shaken by a tough holiday season and bracing for more trouble, the retail scene may look very different in 2009, the Wall Street Journal reports. Some stores will be reducing inventory and cutting suppliers, which could force small manufacturers to fold. Retail bankruptcies could abound. "We will have a...

Amazon Has 'Best Ever' Holiday Season

Dec 26, 2008 3:10 PM CST

Amazon Has 'Best Ever' Holiday Season

Online retailer beat the market with HDTVs, iPods, and Wii

(Newser) - The Grinch apparently didn’t sour shoppers on Amazon this year: The company said today the 2008 holiday season was its “best ever,” MarketWatch reports. Amazon sold more than 6.3 million items worldwide on Dec. 15, its peak day, amounting to “a record-breaking 72.9 items...

Gift-Givers Get Crafty In Tight Holiday Times

Dec 23, 2008 10:14 AM CST

Gift-Givers Get Crafty In Tight Holiday Times

Sales of craft supplies and handmade items shine

(Newser) - Although the economic downturn has nearly everyone pinching pennies, craft stores are watching theirs stack up as holiday gift-givers are saving money by making their own gifts or buying handmade items from others, the New York Times reports. While overall retail revenues in November were off 7.4% from last...

Desperate Retailers Offer
24-Hour Shopping

Dec 22, 2008 7:51 AM CST

Desperate Retailers Offer 24-Hour Shopping

More stores are extending hours to catch last-minute shoppers, night owls

(Newser) - With the holiday shopping season on track to be the worst in decades, more struggling retailers like Toys "R" Us, Macy's, and Wal-Mart are opting to keep their doors open 24 hours the last few days, hoping to entice last-minute shoppers and night-owls, reports the Wall Street Journal. "...

Shoppers
Turn to Funny, Useful Gifts

Dec 21, 2008 5:05 PM CST

Shoppers Turn to Funny, Useful Gifts

Boots, joke books, comfort clothes score big in recession

(Newser) - Christmas shoppers are thinking small this year, and the gifts they're buying reveal how Americans are coping with recession, USA Today reports. Here's a list of today's trends:

Practical: Nearly half of the most popular items searched for online were boots, according to one mall inventory service. Gifts that help

...

Storms Threaten to Wipe Out Retailers' Last Hopes

Dec 21, 2008 5:26 AM CST

Storms Threaten to Wipe Out Retailers' Last Hopes

Double whammy for desperate stores struggling to sell in last holiday week

(Newser) - Retailers were extending hours and cutting prices deeper in a last-ditch attempt to attract a final wave of holiday shoppers and mitigate the impact of major storms in the Midwest, Northwest and Northeast, Reuters reports. Some two-thirds of shoppers still have holiday shopping left to do, according to surveys, but...

Sold-Out Kindles Still Available—for a Price

Dec 20, 2008 2:09 AM CST

Sold-Out Kindles Still Available—for a Price

Amazon loses out as savvy buyers trade e-book for big returns

(Newser) - Amazon.com has run out of Kindle e-book readers, sending their prices soaring on the second-hand market and on sites like eBay, reports Bloomberg. Ever since an Oprah endorsement in October cleaned out the online retailer’s stock, those with Kindles in hand have sought to secure a return on...

Declines in Gift Cards, Self-Splurges Hurt Retailers

Dec 10, 2008 4:57 PM CST

Declines in Gift Cards, Self-Splurges Hurt Retailers

(Newser) - Naughty or nice, America’s retail stores can’t look forward to two of the holiday season’s usual boons: gift card sales and “self-gifting” splurges, MarketWatch reports. About 44% of shoppers say they will not buy gift cards this year, up from 26% last year, a marketing study...

Trampled Worker's
Family Sues Wal-Mart

Dec 3, 2008 2:56 PM CST

Trampled Worker's Family Sues Wal-Mart

And more lawsuits coming over Black Friday trampling on Long Island

(Newser) - The family of the Wal-Mart temp worker who was trampled to death by a Black Friday stampede has filed a wrongful death lawsuit in New York's state Supreme Court against the retailer and the Long Island mall where the store is located. The family also filed notice that Nassau County,...

Israeli Salesmen the Kings of the Mall Kiosk

Dec 3, 2008 2:20 PM CST

Israeli Salesmen the Kings of the Mall Kiosk

Pushy vendors bring bazaar-culture to holiday shopping

(Newser) - Chances are that shopping-mall cart vendor offering you spa lotions or whimsical toys this Christmas season is an Israeli transplant who knows how to hustle and haggle. Cart owners avoid hiring shyer Americans because "Israelis are natural-born closers," said one marketing director, and they're edging out other Turkish,...